Video-voicemail solution for wireless communication devices

ABSTRACT

An enhanced communication and voicemail solution for mobile phones is described where still images and/or video clips are injected into the voice stream creating a “video-voice” call. When a receiving party is not available to take a video-voice call, this combined stream of voice and image information is stored at the mobile service provider in a manner similar to voice mail today. Then, stored video-voicemails may be retrieved at a later time by the receiving party. Also, realtime video-voice conversations may be recorded for later retrieval in order to document the conversation or because a party in the conversation is not able to view the images realtime. 
     While the sending party may use a normal size mobile phone containing a miniature digital camera, the receiving party may view video-voicemail images on a variety of devices including a wireless mobile phone or PDA, or alternately a conventional PC connected to the World Wide Web.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the operation of mobile phone communicationsystems such as those including cellular phones or any form of mobilewireless communication device capable of voice communication, and inparticular, enhancements to conventional realtime voice communicationsand voicemail storage and retrieval systems for mobile phones allowingthe integration of still images and video clips.

BACKGROUND

Today, voicemail for mobile phones is simply that, storing voicemessages when the receiving party is not available, to be retrieved at alater time. Essentially, voice mail for mobile phones operates in a verysimilar manner to voicemail for conventional office phones. To date,there has been no attempt to integrate images or video with voicemailfor mobile phones or conventional office phones.

Communications between two parties where both voice and video areutilized is well known and is commonly referred to as video conferencingor teleconferencing. Sometimes this capability is also known as a “NetMeeting”. Here, a group of individuals, each having a computing deviceincluding microphone, speaker, video camera, and a connection to theWorld Wide Web, are able to communicate in a real-time manner throughboth video and voice mediums. The ultimate goal of a video conferencingsystem is to transmit a continuous stream of audio and video to and fromeach participant in the meeting or conversation, and to emulate as muchas possible the interaction that would occur if all participants were inthe same room. To do this, there will be compromises and limitations formany years to come relative to the desired functionality for videoconferencing due to bandwidth limitations. In contrast to this goal andthese compromises, the invention described herein uses existingbandwidth capabilities to selectively integrate images and video withvoice communication in order to solve very specific and valuableproblems. The manner in which this integration occurs has not beenoffered before.

The term “videomail” is often used in the industry, but in contrast tovoice mail, does not refer to the storage of messages for laterretrieval. Instead, it refers to attaching video clips to e-mails and asimilar manner to the common practice of attaching files containingdigital photographs to e-mails.

Cameras have, at times, been incorporated into mobile phones forsurveillance purposes. Instead of broadcasting digital video via a datalink with the mobile/cellular service provider, these phones broadcastan RF signal to a viewing receiver in the same manner as any othercovert surveillance camera system.

Digital cameras are available as attachments to some PDAs (PersonalDigital Assistants), some of which also are available with wirelessconnection to a service provider allowing accessibility to the WorldWide Web. Some PDAs with wireless Web-interface capability can alsofunction as mobile or cellular phones. Some mobile phones have added PDAcapabilities, again with wireless Web-interface capability. Also, somemobile phones now have digital cameras available as options to allowpictures to be captured and attached to emails. However, none suchdevices offer the integration of still images or video with cellularvoice communication or with voicemail for cellular phones following theexisting paradigm of phone calls and voicemail messages.

A very successful capability offered by one cellular service provider(the Nextel Direct Connect® digital two-way radio service), allowsfrequent communications among a group of individuals who work closelytogether to be more convenient and less costly. As a result, thiscapability has been adopted by the majority of businesses that requirefrequent communications with individuals working at different locationsin a local area, for the most part, businesses in the constructionindustry. This allows a manager, foreman, or responsible person to moreeasily keep track of the progress at a variety of locations, and morereadily communicate to affect swift problem resolution. Unfortunately,these communications rely on the ability of the individuals involved toclearly describe situations and problems they observe in terms that theresponsible person can understand in order to best make decisions andguide the remote workers. The ability for the responsible person to seethe subject or problem area would significantly enhance the value ofthese communications.

A solution is needed that, given the bandwidth limitations of currentand next generation cellular data transmission capability, provides aneasy way for persons to communicate image and video information, whilemaintaining a communication paradigm that is familiar, basically theparadigm of phone calls and voicemails. Such a system would allow highresolution images to be transmitted when a high level of detailed isrequired, and alternately, video clips (which may be at lowerresolutions) where spatial relationships and or motion information isrequired.

SUMMARY

An enhanced communication and voicemail solution for mobile phones isdescribed where still images and/or video clips are injected into thevoice stream creating a “video-voice” call. When a receiving party isnot available to take a video-voice call, this combined stream of voiceand image information is stored at the mobile service provider in amanner similar to voice mail today. Then, stored video-voicemails may beretrieved at a later time by the receiving party. While the sendingparty may use a normal size mobile phone containing a miniature digitalcamera, the receiving party may view video-voicemail images on a varietyof devices including a wireless mobile phone or PDA, or alternately aconventional PC connected to the World Wide Web.

Compared with continuous, full motion video, occasionally injecting astill image or video clip into the voice stream allows much higherresolution images to be sent given bandwidth limitations, allowing thereceiving party to view a subject or situation in much greater detail.For use in business applications, conveniently viewing this moredetailed information, synchronized with voice explanations, enablesbetter decisions thereby saving time and money.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with respect to particular exemplaryembodiments thereof and reference is accordingly made to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart for voice and image information within thescope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cellular phone incorporating a digital camera.

FIG. 3 shows a camera-enabled cellular phone in action with ahigh-resolution image being viewed remotely on a cellular phone/PDAcombination device.

FIG. 4 shows a video-voice message where high resolution still photoshave been injected into the voice stream.

FIG. 5 shows a video-voice message where a video clip and ahigh-resolution still photo have been injected into the voice stream.

FIG. 6 shows a variety of wireless communication devices having digitalcommunications capability for displaying the images from video-voicemessages, with emphasis on the variation in aspect ratio of thedisplays.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional PC, in this case a notebook computer, havinga large high-resolution display, and capable of receiving thevideo-voice messages through conventional Web access.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A better way to communicate between persons operating at remotelocations and a manager, advisor, or person in authority, would includeinterspersing images and/or video clips within the voice communicationstream, whether or not it is real time or a voicemail message left forfuture retrieval. Such a solution utilizes video clips where they aremost effective (even with reduced resolution)—conveying motioninformation, or alternately conveying spatial information of the subjectarea by way of a “Pan” motion with the camera. In addition, highresolution still images can be injected into the voicestream to allow avery detailed view of a particular subject or problem area, synchronizedwith a verbal description and other related discussion.

Many applications will benefit from this new capability, including theconstruction industry, the medical and care industry, field service andrepair, building inspection, insurance adjusters, or any applicationwhere people need a convenient way to document situations at remotelocations and make this information available to others. Anotherspecific application that will benefit from video-voice communicationsis that of emergency situations. When someone calling 911 to report anemergency can also provide video clips and high resolution still images,a dispatcher or paramedic receiving the call can much better understandthe situation and even instruct the caller in a way that may save lives.

In general, integrating this capability with the familiar paradigm ofthe mobile phone call and voicemail is most convenient and useful. Asdiscussed earlier, it is known to attach digital photos and digitalvideo clips to emails. Emails are inherently digital, so this attachmentis natural. Emails are also not a realtime communications medium.However, it is not known to attach digital photos and digital videoclips to voice communications, whether realtime or as stored messages.

Note that, throughout this specification, the terms “mobile phone”,“cellular phone”, and “wireless phone” are synonymous and refer to anymobile communications device capable of bi-directional voicecommunication.

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart for voice and image information within thescope of the present invention. Here, calling party 1 transmits a streamof voice information with still images and/or video clips interspersedthroughout. These may be part of a real-time conversation with receivingparty 4 where the receiving party interactively communicates (voice)with the calling party while receiving images that are displayed on thereceiving device. Scenario 7, describing the receiving party'scommunication during a realtime conversation, indicates that thereceiving party may communicate via some form of wireless phone devicewith digital capability communicating directly via the service provider,or alternately may communicate through the World Wide Web using aconventional PC with multimedia and voice communication capability(i.e., speaker and microphone or some form of headset).

If the receiving party is not available for realtime communications, amessage may be stored at service provider 2 in database 3 designed tostore voice, image, and video clip information while retaining the timerelationships between the three. Per scenario 6, the retrieving partyaccesses previously stored voice, image, and video clip informationdirectly from the service provider via some form of wireless phonedevice. Alternately, per scenario 5, the receiving party may accessstored voice, image, and video clip information via the World Wide Webthrough either wired or wireless Web access. Although FIG. 1 only showsone mobile service provider, it is possible that there is more than oneservice provider in the link shown between the calling party and thereceiving party. For simplicity, only one is shown here. Throughout thisspecification and the attached claims, the term “mobile serviceprovider” will refer to one or more service providers who support mobile(or cellular or wireless) communication.

For cellular voice communications today, real-time conversations arenever recorded. Only voicemail messages are recorded. As relates tovideo-voice conversations, it is however useful to record real-timecommunications that contain either still images or video clips injectedinto the voice stream. This may be desired in order to document thevisual information being conveyed as part of the conversation for laterretrieval. It may also be desired when the receiving party answers acall and, as part of the conversation, subsequently realizes that imagesor video clips are being transferred, but can't properly or safely viewthem.

With the ability to have voicemail or video-voicemail messages stored atthe mobile service provider retrieved via the World Wide Web, users canarchive conversations, voicemail messages, and video-voicemailconversations and messages on their personal or business computersystem. Today, there is not a convenient way to archive mobile voicemailmessages.

If the receiving party is not in a position to view these imagesreal-time, such as when driving a car, having the conversation recordedincluding all images will allow them to review the visual and audioinformation by retrieving the recorded message at a later time.Alternately, if the receiving party is driving or otherwise in asituation where viewing is inconvenient or impossible, it may be usefulto have the ability to transfer a real-time conversation intovideo-voicemail, if the conversation reaches a point where it ismeaningless to continue real-time without the receiving party being ableto view the images or video clips. This capability may be implemented byalways recording realtime video-voice conversations at the mobileservice provider, and discarding the information at the end of theconversation if the receiving (or calling) party has not taken someaction (like pressing some button) to initiate the saving of thevideo-voice conversation. Alternately, the user could set the defaultmode to be that of automatically saving conversations, deleting themlater if not needed or deleting them after they have been downloaded viathe Web and archived. A variation on this these would includeautomatically saving conversations from a particular calling party, anddeleting them later if not needed or deleting them after they have beendownloaded via the Web and archived. The accumulation of informationresulting from these recording scenarios would require a much largeramount of memory for storing messages at the service provider, but ifthis is valuable, it is a service that users would be willing to payextra for.

The scenarios just described can also be applied to recording realtimevoice conversations for later retrieval and archive. Even archivingvoice alone can be a powerful tool within business applications. Forrecording realtime conversations, the issue of permissions and privacyarises. One easy to handle the granting of “permission to be recorded”would be that permission is deemed to be given to record conversationsfrom or to a particular phone number by calling from that particularphone number and taking a prescribed action which could include enteringa specified code. It may instead be desired to record only video-voiceconversations and not voice-only conversations, again with permissionshaving been given.

Although the essence and value of a video-voice conversation asdescribed herein is bi-directional for voice communication, but mostlyor solely unidirectional with regard to the transmission of video clipsand still images, the methods described may in certain circumstances, bevaluable in a bi-directional manner. For instance, a worker at a jobsitemay send images to a supervisor at a remote location, and the supervisormay, in return, send an image of a portion of a blueprint while pointingout some specific details to resolve certain issues. Of course, thisrequires that the worker have a device with a display capable ofpresenting the blueprint image with enough resolution to properlydiscriminate the necessary information.

Another purpose for recording video-voice messages involves a reversescenario where the supervisor/foreman/responsible party may wish torecord information and instructions concerning a particular job site,such that the information and instructions may be viewed by workers at alater time before commencing work or as part of problem resolutionduring the job.

FIG. 2 shows one variation of a camera integrated according to thisinvention with a conventional cellular phone. While cameras aresometimes offered as external options to mobile phones, such solutionsmay not be rugged enough for business use, especially in theconstruction industry. Incorporating the camera within the phone is asimpler and more rugged solution. While the variation shown in FIG. 2does not allow the user to photograph themselves while viewing thedisplay, such as would be required for a mobile video conference or netmeeting, this capability is not required where the purpose of thevideo-voice conversation is remote viewing. FIG. 2a is a front view ofthe same phone.

Notice in FIG. 2a that button 8 located on left side is positioned suchthat the index finger of the right hand may easily press this button toactivate the “shutter” for the integral digital camera. Alternately,having the button on the right side would allow operation by the indexfinger if the user's right hand covers the keypad. These alignmentswould be reversed for a left-handed person. Either way, having the“shutter button” on the side allows a more firm grip on the camera body,allowing a steadier picture, when pushing the “shutter” button.

If the integral camera and associated electronics are designed to alloweither still images or video clips to be captured and transmitted, thereare at least two methods of utilizing shutter button 8 to easily supportboth. In the first method, the button may be pressed briefly andreleased to record a still image, or pressed and held for a longerduration to enable a video clip to be transmitted during the duration oftime for which the button is held. In the second method, button 8 may bepartially depressed to capture a still image or fully depressed tocapture a video clip. Alternately for each of the above methods, whichbutton action captures still images and which captures video clips maybe reversed. In addition to the methods just described for determiningwhen video-clips are captured as opposed to still images, a moreconventional method can always be utilized where the desired mode ofcapture is first selected through a key or combination of key presses onthe phone's keypad, followed by pressing a “shutter” button.

Although this specification refers to transmitting both still images andvideo clips, an implementation may only deal with one of the two. If thebandwidth limitations are severe, occasionally injecting high resolutionstill images into the voicestream is probably more valuable than videoclips. Eventually, when the available bandwidth is at a level where highresolution video clips can be easily sent via mobile communications,sending only video clips will be appropriate. In the interim, thecombination of high resolution still images and lower resolution videoclips may be the best overall compromise.

FIG. 2b shows a rear view of the cell phone revealing battery cover 9and an integral sliding protective cover 10 that protects the lens forthe integral digital camera. The sliding protective cover allows thephone to have a normal conformation when the cover is closed andprovides maximum protection for the integral camera. Alternately, anintegral protective cover might be hinged at one end and “flip-open” toexpose the camera lens. In any case, for a robust solution for businessuse, an integral protective cover must be always attached to the mainbody of the phone so that it can be easily restored to its protectiveposition after the user is finished using the camera feature, and sothat the cover will never be misplaced or lost.

FIG. 2c shows another rear view of the same phone where protective cover10 has been withdrawn to reveal camera lens 11. Note that, as forconventional digital cameras and video cameras, an optical zoomcapability may be added.

FIG. 3 shows an application example where a construction worker (thesending party), in this case a mason, is communicating with hissupervisor regarding a problem with a brick column that has just beenconstructed. As shown in image 12 and enlargement 13, the sending partyis holding the phone in front of them like a camera in order to captureimage and/or video information. In this mode, the display on the phoneshould temporarily act like the viewfinder display on a digital camera.This mode can be activated by a button on the keypad, a push of theshutter button 8, or some other mechanism. When button 8 is released,normal phone display information usually consisting of digits and iconscan be optionally superimposed over the camera display, in a black orwhite (reversed) format.

Since the user of the phone/camera will be holding the device in frontof them, they will not be able to talk directly into a normalmicrophone. Hence, it is necessary to have either a speaker phonecapability, or some form of wired or wireless headset to allowbi-directional voice communication while the camera function is beingutilized.

Looking again at FIG. 3, voice, image, and video clip information iseither transferred in real time by way of the service provider 15 to thereceiving party, or alternately is stored as a video-voicemail messageat the mobile service provider for retrieval at a later time. Inaddition, as mentioned previously, a real-time conversation with imageand video clips added may also be stored at the service provider tofurther document a situation for later retrieval. Note that during anyconversation where image and video clip information is beingtransferred, bi-directional voice communication will occur for real-timeconversations.

In FIG. 3, the camera is incorporated into a conventional-looking cellphone 14 and is observed by the receiving party on a cell phone/PDAcombination unit 16 allowing a larger, more detailed view of imagesenabling the receiving party to make better decisions.

FIG. 4 shows how images are positioned in voice stream 17 of a videovoicemail conversation with the initial position in time of the imagesrelative to the voicestream being maintained for all such informationtransmitted. Here three high-resolution still images, image 18, image,and image 20, are injected into the voice stream at different times, avoice description typically coordinated with each image to explain anyissues. To allow this discussion to continue while the receiving partyis viewing a related image, the last still image transmitted or the lastframe of a video clip will typically be maintained on the screen of thereceiving device until superseded by another image or video clip, oruntil otherwise terminated by an action of the receiving party.

FIG. 5 shows both a video clip sequence 21 and a high resolution stillimage 22 injected into the voice stream 17, such that the initialposition in time of images and video clips relative to the voicestreamare maintained for all such information transmitted. Notice that thevideo clip is able to convey spatial orientation by sweeping (panning)from left to right, thereby positioning a specific focal point properlywithin its surrounding environment. In this case, a construction crewhas uncovered a pipe and in the process has broken it in one specificplace. The pan video clip sequence sweeps along the length of the pipe,ending the sequence at the specific location of interest, where highresolution still image 22 provides a close-up detail of the breakitself.

Where, according to this invention, video clips or high-resolution stillimages are injected into the voice stream, the last image to be capturedaccording to the action of shutter button 8 will typically be maintainedon the display of the capturing phone for a predetermined time periodafter button 8 is released, or until otherwise terminated by asubsequent action of the sending party. Also, when button 8 is released,normal phone display information may optionally again be superimposed onthe displayed image if desired.

Since it is desired that the party capturing and sending images canclearly and easily observe what images are being captured, it may benecessary to add some form of sun-shade to allow clear observation of anLCD “viewfinder” display on the phone/camera. Alternately, or inaddition, it may be useful to add a polarizing filter over an LCDdisplay for better viewing in bright sunlight. Other displaytechnologies, more easily viewed in direct sunlight, may be utilized. Itmay also be useful to add an optical viewfinder such as those found inmany conventional digital cameras.

FIG. 6 shows some examples of additional types of video-voice enabledviewing devices, with emphasis on the variation of aspect ratios amongthem. Previously, unit 16 in FIG. 3 showed a cellular phone device thatopens into a wireless data enabled PDA, having a very wide formatscreen. Shown additionally in FIG. 6 are a conventional flip-phone 23having a relatively standard aspect ratio screen, and a wireless enabledPalm Pilot PDA 24, having an aspect ratio that is unusually tall in thevertical direction.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional PC 25, in this case a notebook computer witha large high-resolution screen, having a fairly typical aspect ratio.The large variation in aspect ratio between the screens as shown inFIGS. 3, 6, and 7 provides an opportunity to pre-process video clip andimage data at the service provider to better match the aspect ratio of areceiving device, before that information is sent to the particularreceiving device. Essentially, when matching the aspect ratio of aparticular receiving device, there is information that will not bedisplayed anyway, and removing (cropping) this extraneous informationbefore transmitting, can reduce the amount of time acquired to transmitvideo clip and image information to a particular receiving device.

Therefore, a methods and apparatus for implementing a combinationvideo/voicemail system especially useful in the construction industryand other industries requiring remote viewing with guidance andsupervision, has been described

It should be understood that the particular embodiments described aboveare only illustrative of the principles of the present invention, andvarious modifications could be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Thus, the scope ofthe present invention is limited only by the claims that follow.

1. A method for transferring video, voice, and still image informationduring a realtime conversation, wherein video clips and still images arecaptured by a calling party on a capturing device, said video clips andstill images being interspersed in time and combined with a stream ofvoice information (hereinafter “the voice stream”) captured by awireless communication device, and comprising the steps of: capturing,from time to time during a realtime conversation, video clips and stillimages utilizing a digital camera contained within or attached to saidwireless communication device; transmitting said video clips and stillimages together with and synchronized with the voice stream such thatthe initial position of each video clip and still image in time relativeto the voice stream is maintained; receiving by a receiving party, on areceiving device having a display and at a remote location and inrealtime, said voice stream combined with said video clips and stillimages, where the initial position in time of each video clip and stillimage relative to the voice stream is maintained; and where video clipsand still images are displayed alternately on the same display; andwhere the displayed image of each still image or the last frame of avideo clip displayed on said receiving device persists until a differentstill image or video clip arrives in the voice stream, or untilotherwise terminated; and storing, at a mobile service provider forretrieval at a later time, said realtime conversation including thevoice stream combined with said video clips and still images, whilepreserving the relationship in time between voice, video and still imageinformation.
 2. The method of claim 1 where said realtime conversation,including video clips and still images combined with the voice stream,is optionally recorded at said mobile service provider for laterretrieval in response to a decision indication, said decision indicationto start said recording being supplied during said video-voiceconversation by the receiving party or the calling party.
 3. The methodof claim 1 where said realtime conversation, including video clips andstill images combined with the voice stream, is automatically recordedat said mobile service provider for later retrieval, and where adecision indication causing the contents of said video-voiceconversation to be saved is optionally supplied by the receiving partyor the calling party during the course of said conversation.
 4. Acommunication system, including a calling party and a receiving partycommunicating via a mobile service provider, including: at least onewireless communication device capable of bi-directional voicecommunication and containing a digital camera, said wirelesscommunication device capable of capturing and transmitting from thecalling party to said mobile service provider, video clips and highresolution still images together with and synchronized with a stream ofvoice information (hereinafter “the voice stream”), said video clips andstill images being interspersed in time and where the initial positionof each video clip and high resolution still image in time relative tothe voice stream is maintained; and at least one receiving deviceoperable by said receiving party, said receiving device having a displayand being capable of receiving synchronized voice, video clip, and highresolution still image information from said mobile service provider,either through a wireless connection or through the World Wide Web, andwhere each video clip and still image is displayed on said receivingdevice such that the initial position in time of each video clip andstill image when displayed, is maintained relative to the voice stream;and where video clips and still images are displayed alternately on thesame display; and where the most recent still image or the last frame ofthe most recent video clip, whichever occurred most recently, continuesto be displayed on the receiving device's display until a differentimage or video clip arrives in the voice stream, or until otherwiseterminated; and where a realtime conversation including voice, videoclip and still image information transmitted by said wirelesscommunication device is stored at said mobile service provider inresponse to decision indications supplied by both the calling partingand the receiving party during said conversation, said video clip andstill image information being stored together with and synchronized withthe voice stream.
 5. A communication system for communicating betweentwo parties via a mobile service provider, video clip and highresolution still image information together with and synchronized with astream of voice information (hereinafter “the voice stream”), wherevideo clips and high resolution still images are interspersed in timeand where the initial position in time of each video clip and highresolution still image in the voice stream is maintained, including: atleast one communication device capable of transmitting from a callingparty to said mobile service provider, voice information, video clips,and high resolution still images together with and synchronized with thevoice stream; and at least one receiving device having a display andcapable of receiving at a receiving party, synchronized voice, videoclip, and still image information from said mobile service provider,either through a wireless connection or through the World Wide Web; andwhere each video clip and still image is displayed on said receivingdevice such that the initial position in time of each video clip andstill image when displayed is maintained relative to the voice streamand where video clips and still images are displayed alternately on thesame display; and where the displayed image of each still image or thelast frame of a video clip displayed on said receiving device persistsuntil a different still image or video clip arrives in the voice stream,or until otherwise terminated; and a storage system at said mobileservice provider for storing said voice information, video clips, andhigh resolution still images while maintaining the initial position intime of said video clips and high resolution still images in the voicestream; and where information communicated from a calling party isoptionally recorded for retrieval at a later time if the receiving partydecides, during a realtime conversation, that said information should berecorded.
 6. A communication system for communicating between twoparties via a mobile service provider, video clip and high resolutionstill image information together with and synchronized with a stream ofvoice information (hereinafter “the voice stream”), where video clipsand high resolution still images are interspersed in time and where theinitial position in time of each video clip and high resolution stillimage in the voice stream is maintained, including: at least onecommunication device capable of transmitting from a calling party tosaid mobile service provider, voice information, video clips, and highresolution still images together with and synchronized with the voicestream; and at least one receiving device having a display and capableof receiving at a receiving party, synchronized voice, video clip, andstill image information from said mobile service provider, eitherthrough a wireless connection or through the World Wide Web; and whereeach video clip and still image is displayed on said receiving devicesuch that the initial position in time of each video clip and stillimage when displayed is maintained relative to the voice stream; andwhere video clips and still images are displayed alternately on the samedisplay; and where the displayed image of each still image or the lastframe of a video clip displayed on said receiving device persists untila different still image or video clip arrives in the voice stream, oruntil otherwise terminated; and a storage system at said mobile serviceprovider for storing said voice information, video clips, and highresolution still images while maintaining the initial position in timeof said video clips and high resolution still images in the voicestream; and where a receiving party may choose to have all incominginformation recorded for retrieval at a later time, selectively deletinginformation for individual conversations at a later time.
 7. Acommunication system for communicating between two parties via a mobileservice provider, video clip and high resolution still image informationtogether with and synchronized with a stream of voice information(hereinafter “the voice stream”), where video clips and high resolutionstill images are interspersed in time and where the initial position intime of each video clip and high resolution still image in the voicestream is maintained, including: at least one communication devicecapable of transmitting from a calling party to said mobile serviceprovider, voice information, video clips, and high resolution stillimages together with and synchronized with the voice stream; and atleast one receiving device having a display and capable of receiving ata receiving party, synchronized voice, video clip, and still imageinformation from said mobile service provider, either through a wirelessconnection or through the World Wide Web; and where each video clip andstill image is displayed on said receiving device such that the initialposition in time of each video clip and still image when displayed ismaintained relative to the voice stream; and where video clips and stillimages are displayed alternately on the same display; and where thedisplayed image of each still image or the last frame of a video clipdisplayed on said receiving device persists until a different stillimage or video clip arrives in the voice stream, or until otherwiseterminated; and a storage system at said mobile service provider forstoring said voice information, video clips, and high resolution stillimages while maintaining the initial position in time of said videoclips and high resolution still images in the voice stream; and where areceiving party may choose to have all incoming information from aparticular calling party recorded for retrieval at a later time,selectively deleting information for individual conversations at a latertime.
 8. A communication system for communicating between two partiesvia a mobile service provider, video clip and high resolution stillimage information together with and synchronized with a stream of voiceinformation (hereinafter “the voice stream”), where video clips and highresolution still images are interspersed in time and where the initialposition in time of each video clip and high resolution still image inthe voice stream is maintained, including: at least one communicationdevice capable of transmitting from a calling party to said mobileservice provider, voice information, video clips, and high resolutionstill images together with and synchronized with the voice stream; andat least one receiving device having a display and capable of receivingat a receiving party, synchronized voice, video clip, and still imageinformation from said mobile service provider, either through a wirelessconnection or through the World Wide Web; and where each video clip andstill image is displayed on said receiving device such that the initialposition in time of each video clip and still image when displayed ismaintained relative to the voice stream; and where video clips and stillimages are displayed alternately on the same display; and where thedisplayed image of each still image or the last frame of a video clipdisplayed on said receiving device persists until a different stillimage or video clip arrives in the voice stream, or until otherwiseterminated; and a storage system at said mobile service provider forstoring said voice information, video clips, and high resolution stillimages while maintaining the initial position in time of said videoclips and high resolution still images in the voice stream; and where aparticular calling party and a particular receiving party may choose inadvance to have all information, including voice, video clips and stillimages, exchanged between them during conversations recorded at saidmobile service provider for retrieval at a later time.
 9. A method fortransferring video, voice, and still image information during a realtimeconversation, wherein video clips and still images are captured by acalling party on a capturing device, said video clips and still imagesbeing interspersed in time and combined with a stream of voiceinformation (hereinafter “the voice stream”) captured by a wirelesscommunication device, and comprising the steps of: capturing, from timeto time during a realtime conversation, video clips and still imagesutilizing a digital camera contained within or attached to said wirelesscommunication device: transmitting said video clips and still imagestogether with and synchronized with the voice stream such that theinitial position of each video clip and still image in time relative tothe voice stream is maintained; receiving by a receiving party, on areceiving device having a display and at a remote location and inrealtime, said voice stream combined with said video clips and stillimages, where the initial position in time of each video clip and stillimage relative to the voice stream is maintained; and where video clipsand still images are displayed alternately on the same display; andwhere the displayed image of each still image or the last frame of avideo clip displayed on said receiving device persists until a differentstill image or video clip arrives in the voice stream, or untilotherwise terminated; and storing, at a mobile service provider forretrieval at a later time, said realtime conversation including thevoice stream combined with said video clips and still images, whilepreserving the relationship in time between voice, video and still imageinformation; and where a particular calling party and a particularreceiving party may choose in advance to have all information, includingvoice, video clips and still images, exchanged between them duringconversations recorded at said mobile service provider for retrieval ata later time.
 10. A method for transferring video, voice, and stillimage information during a realtime conversation, wherein video clipsand still images are captured by a calling party on a capturing device,said video clips and still images being interspersed in time andcombined with a stream of voice information (hereinafter “the voicestream”) captured by a wireless communication device, and comprising thesteps of: capturing, from time to time during a realtime conversation,video clips and still images utilizing a digital camera contained withinor attached to said wireless communication device; and transmitting saidvideo clips and still images together with and synchronized with thevoice stream such that the initial position of each video clip and stillimage in time relative to the voice stream is maintained; and receiving,by a receiving party, on a receiving device having a display and at aremote location, either in realtime or retrieved from a video-voicemailstorage system at a mobile service provider, said voice stream combinedwith and synchronized with said video clips and still images, where theinitial position in time of each video clip and still image relative tothe voice stream is maintained; and where video clips and still imagesare displayed alternately on the same display; and where the most recentstill image or the last frame of the most recent video clip, whicheveroccurred most recently, continues to be displayed on the receivingdevice's display until a different image or video clip arrives in thevoice stream, or until otherwise terminated; and where a particularcalling party and a particular receiving party may choose in advance tohave all information, including voice, video clips and still images,exchanged between them during conversations recorded at said mobileservice provider for retrieval at a later time.
 11. A communicationsystem, including a calling party and a receiving party communicatingvia a mobile service provider, including: at least one wirelesscommunication device capable of bi-directional voice communication andcontaining a digital camera, said wireless communication device capableof capturing and transmitting from the calling party to said mobileservice provider, video clips and high resolution still images togetherwith and synchronized with a stream of voice information (hereinafter“the voice stream”), said video clips and still images beinginterspersed in time and where the initial position of each video clipand high resolution still image in time relative to the voice stream ismaintained; and at least one receiving device operable by said receivingparty, said receiving device having a display and being capable ofreceiving synchronized voice, video clip, and high resolution stillimage information from said mobile service provider, either through awireless connection or through the World Wide Web, and where each videoclip and still image is displayed on said receiving device such that theinitial position in time of each video clip and still image whendisplayed, is maintained relative to the voice stream; and where videoclips and still images are displayed alternately on the same display;and where the most recent still image or the last frame of the mostrecent video clip, whichever occurred most recently, continues to bedisplayed on the receiving device's display until a different image orvideo clip arrives in the voice stream, or until otherwise terminated;and where a particular calling party and a particular receiving partymay choose in advance to have all information, including voice, videoclips and still images, exchanged between them during conversationsrecorded at said mobile service provider for retrieval at a later time.12. A communication system, comprising: a communication device thattransmits a voice stream, a video clip and a still image to a serviceprovider, wherein the video clip and the still image are synchronizedwith the voice stream; a receiving device that receives the video clipand the still image synchronized with the voice stream from the serviceprovider and displays the video clip and the still image on a displayscreen such that an initial position in time of the video clip and thestill image is maintained with respect to the voice stream, wherein thevideo clip and the still image are interspersed in time on the samedisplay screen and wherein the still image or a last frame of the videoclip persists on the display until a different still image or video clipis received, or until otherwise terminated; and a storage system at theservice provider that stores the voice stream, the video clip, and thestill image while maintaining the initial position in time of said videoclip and the still image in the voice stream, such that a receivingparty is able to have incoming information recorded for retrieval at alater time.
 13. A communication system, comprising: a communicationdevice that transmits from a calling party to a service provider, avoice stream with a video clip and a still image, wherein the video clipand the still image are synchronized with the voice stream; a receivingdevice that receives the video clip and the still image synchronizedwith the voice stream from the service provider and displays the videoclip and the still image on the display interface of the receivingdevice, such that an initial position in time of the video clip and thestill image when displayed is maintained with respect to the voicestream; and wherein the video clip and the still image are displayedinterspersed in time on the same display; and wherein the still image ora last frame of the video clip displayed on the receiving devicepersists until a different still image or video clip is received, oruntil otherwise terminated; and a storage system at the service providerthat stores the voice stream, the video clip, and the still image whilemaintaining the initial position in time of the video clip and the stillimage in the voice stream; and wherein a calling party on thecommunication device and a receiving party on the receiving deviceselect in advance to record, at the service provider, for retrieval at alater time, the voice stream, the still image and the video clipexchanged between the calling party and the receiving party during aconversation.
 14. A method for transferring video, voice and still imageinformation, said method comprising: capturing, during a realtimeconversation, a video clip and a still image utilizing a digital cameraintegrated with a wireless communication device; transmitting the videoclip and the still image together with and synchronized with a voicestream such that an initial position of the video clip and the stillimage in time relative to the voice stream is maintained; and receiving,on a receiving device having a display, either in realtime or retrievedfrom a video-voicemail storage system at a service provider, said voicestream combined with and synchronized with said video clip and saidstill image, wherein the initial position in time of the video clip andthe still image relative to the voice stream is maintained; and whereinthe video clip and the still image are displayed interspersed in time ona same display; and wherein the still image or a last frame of the videoclip, whichever occurred most recently, continues to be displayed untila different image or video clip is received, or until otherwiseterminated; wherein the video-voicemail storage system at the serviceprovider stores the voice stream combined with and synchronized with thevideo clip and the still image for retrieval at a later time.